Portrait of a Lady Circa 1680; Circle of Francois De Troy (1645-1730)

This portrait is an excellent example of the type of portrait that was in vogue in France during the last part of the 17th century and the early part of the 18th. The sitter is sumptuously dressed in a blue gown with collarette, and a silk mantle that elegantly flows behind the sitter; this touch creates a sense of movement to the picture. France during this period was the leading exponent of fashion and the arts to the rest of Europe and the fashions arose from the French court itself. The expensive fabrics, the jewels, and the whiteness of the skin are distinctive marks of the sitter’s social status.

The treatment of the white lace is very good; it’s technique required painstaking work. A feature of this portrait is its fine 17th century carved and gilded hardwood frame, decorated with acorns and acanthus leaves - a fine work of art in itself.

Francois de Troy was born in Toulouse in 1645 and was taught the basic skills of painting by his father, and possibly by Antoine Durand. Around 1662 he went to Paris to study portrait painting under Claude Lefèbvre (1633–1675) and Nicolas-Pierre Loir (1624–1679 and in 1671, he was approved by the Académie Royale de peinture et de sculpture. After the death of Claude Lefebvre in 1675, Troy concentrated on ortraiture aimed at commissions from Lefebvre's former clients and became a very successful and fashionable painter. In the 1690s, Troy became the principal painter to the court of King James II in exile, the artist of choice at the Stuart court-in-exile at Saint-Germain. Between 1698 and 1711 he produced a series of portraits of James II and his children. By the years 1698 to 1701, a period of peace between France and Great Britain, Jacobites could cross the English Channel carrying portraits of James Francis Edward Stuart and his sister Princess Louisa Maria. In 1698, he was appointed a Professor of the Académie Royale, and in 1708 became its Director. He died in Paris at the age of eighty-five. He was able to work continuously in court circles for almost fifty years and was admired for his ability to capture the upper classes and their preoccupation with manners and fashion.

Provenance: Private French collection

Measurements: Height 84cm, Width 72cm framed (Height 33”, Width 28.25” framed)

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